Chapter Eleven
Brady
“What are you doing?” I said to myself in the mirror.
Sloan was due in just over an hour for dinner, and I still wasn’t too sure why I had invited her in the first place. She’d been nice that day with the horses, for the most part at least, but other than that she’d been a complete annoyance to me. She was a beautiful woman, but she was the sort of woman that expected the whole world to bow down at her feet. And I hated people like that more than anything. She was the opposite of me in every way possible.
And yet, I’d watched her act the day before, and I’d seen something in her that I had seen before. A sense of vulnerability seemed to be lurking beneath the person she presented to the world. Although, she was and actress, so perhaps all I’d seen was someone who knew how to change in front of the camera. I had, however, been impressed with her acting skills that day: something I never thought I’d be.
I sighed as I got things ready for the night ahead. I should’ve invited Grant and Emily so that I’d at least have some backup. But that would feel too much like a double date then, and I didn’t need the pressure. This wasn’t a date, anyway. It was just me being far too kind. Also, if Grant caught wind of the fact that I’d invited her over, he’d think that I was interested in her. He’d been yapping at me for years about meeting the ‘right woman’ and all that jazz. He’d stopped pestering me lately, mostly because I think he’d just given up on me. I didn’t need him to start all over again. When I heard a knock on the door, I sighed. There was still an hour until Sloan was due, so I knew it must be Grant at the door. How was I going to get him out quickly without him suspecting anything?
I opened the door and was just about to say something when I saw Sloan standing in front of me. I looked at the time again and raised my eyebrows in question.
“You’re early,” I said.
“Well, I know what you’re like about people being on time, and I didn’t want to be kicked out for dinner. I figured I’d get here early in case.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Well, come on in. It’s good to see you.”
Sloan walked in and I went to close the door behind her. I realized in that moment that her car would be spotted by Grant if he even just happened to look outside, but when I peered out, I didn’t see anything.
“Where did you park?”
“Park? Oh, I don’t drive. The driver dropped me off.”
I tried not to show my annoyance. “Oh, of course he did. Well,” I said to change the subject. “Shall I show you around?”
“That would be great.”
While we walked around the house, I noticed that Sloan wasn’t wearing one her regular nightclub outfits. She still looked amazing and was still far more nicely dressed than the women in this town. But she at least looked like she wasn’t trying so hard anymore.
“What?” she asked as she caught him staring.
“Nothing,” he said and continued to walk.
“Wow, this place is amazing, Brady.”
“Really? It’s not quite a New York loft though, is it?” I teased.
She laughed. “It’s not. But my apartment would look very odd in this town. This house is great. It’s bigger than I expected. Do you live here alone?”
“All alone. I’m used to wide open spaces. I don’t think I could live in a place that was small. And this,” I said as I took her to the porch outside. “This is where we’ll be having dinner tonight.”
I watched as she took in the scenery before her. The best thing about my house was definitely the expanse of garden. It was the best place to sit and enjoy food on a beautiful summer’s day.
“Oh wow, this is your yard?”
“Part of it is. My brother lives next door, and he has the other part. But yeah, it’s mostly mine. And can you see that building all the way there in the distance?”
She looked out and nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s the ranch.”
“Seriously? Oh wow, it’s close.”
“Yeah. Every now and again I walk to work. But for the most part, I take the car. It’s close, but it’s still a fair distance to go on foot. And after a long day out at the ranch, I don’t usually feel like walking. But yeah, this is my life.”
“It’s great, Brady,” she said, and she actually sounded like she meant it.
“Thank you. Anyway, like I was saying—this is where we’ll be having dinner tonight. There’s no way we can’t eat outside on a day like today. I hope you like steak.”
“You’re grilling them here?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” I said and patted the grill. “It’s the best way to have them.”
“I’ve never had steaks cooked on an outdoor grill.”
“What? Are you serious? And before the other day, you’d never ridden a horse. Well, you’re experiencing lots of firsts in Wyoming. Before I start the meat, can I get you a drink? A glass of wine maybe?”
“Wine sounds lovely. Red if you have it.”
“Red wine and steak. Of course. Take a seat, Sloan. I’ll be right back.”
I walked back in the house to get the wine and marveled at the fact that Sloan had never had meat prepared on an outdoor grill before. I’d spent so many years out on the ranch that I’d almost forgotten what it was like to hang out with city people. Even then, I’d hung out in Arizona, which is still a far cry from the people in New York. They were different.
I poured us both a glass of wine and took it outside. When I got there, Sloan was smiling out into the distance.
“Thank you,” she said. “You know, it’s quite something out here. It feels so peaceful.”
“It is,” I said. “It’s my favorite place in the world.”
I put the steaks on the grill and went to join her. I’d been worried that things were going to be awkward between us, but so far the conversation was flowing.
“So, what’s your favorite place?” I asked her.
She seemed taken aback by the question, and for a while, she just sat there sipping her wine and thinking about it. Finally, she shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Really? Come on; there must be one place you love over anything. What about your apartment? I thought you loved that place.”
“I do. I mean, it’s wonderful. And it overlooks the whole of New York City, which is really something. But I’ve only just moved there, really. It’s not my favorite place or anything. It’s not like . . . this. Uh, I don’t know, Brady. That’s an interesting question.”
It wasn’t exactly a hard question. I thought everyone had a favorite place. A place that they felt completely at ease. It was sad that Sloan didn’t have that, but I decided not to push it.
“Do you also live alone?” I asked.
She nodded. “Oh yeah. And I like that. So, you say your brother lives next door? Do the two of you get along?”
“Grant. Yeah, he’s a good guy. He moved here from Arizona awhile back. He was working as a real estate agent and wanted a change. He came to stay with me for a while, and I put him to work at the ranch. He ended up falling in love with the place, and falling in love with one of the local girls. Now he’s moved in, he got a full-time job as a firefighter, and he’s engaged. And he never wants to move away.”
“That’s quite some story. I hope I get to meet him.”
“Oh, you will. He’s dying to come and see what’s happening at the ranch. Also, he knows all about you, and I’m sure he’d love to meet you.”
She laughed. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go for it,” I said and got up to turn the steaks.
“Did you have any idea who I was when you first met me?”
“Uh, no. I’m sorry.”
“Did you know anyone else? The rest of the cast?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I’m a little far removed from society sometimes. I don’t think I realized that until now, though.”
“I see that.”
I took the steaks off and set them down on the table, then I went to the kitchen and came back with a big salad and a few small buttered rolls.
“Okay, help yourself,” I said as I handed her a plate.
“This looks amazing,” she said as she admired the food on the table.
“I’m glad you like it. It’s simple food, but tasty, I hope.”
We sat back down and started eating, and I was pleased to see that Sloan was enjoying her food. She took a bite of the steak and told me it was the best piece of meat she’d ever eaten.
“I don’t usually cook for people. So, I’m glad you’re happy. Don’t you want a roll?” I said as I sliced mine open to butter. “They’re made by a local baker, and I got them fresh today.”
She shook her head. “Oh, I try not to eat too many carbs. Got to keep the figure, you know.”
I looked over at her slender body and sighed. “You could stand to put on a few pounds. And trust me, the bread is worth it. Life is far too short to worry about calories.”
She hesitated, and then reached over for a roll. She buttered it and took a bite. She grinned at me. “Whoa. This is amazing.”
“And you honestly shouldn’t worry about your weight. In fact, you should think of it in the opposite way. You’re a role model for so many girls out there. Better to show them that worrying about weight is not the most important thing in life.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said as she took another bite.
I was surprised to find that I was enjoying myself with her. And there was definitely a softer side to Sloan that I enjoyed.
“So, a brother next door. Who else?” she asked.
“I have four brothers. Ian, Ryan, Grant, and Reed. Or, as I know most of them, Gunner, Knuckles, Patriot, and Moneymaker.”
“What? Why do you know them as that?”
I chuckled. “My father is part of a motorcycle club back in Arizona, and for a while, we were all part of it too. We were all given those nicknames once upon a time.”
“And yours is?”
“Shotgun.”
She laughed. “It should’ve been ‘Horse Whisperer.’”
“Yeah, that is more fitting than Shotgun. Anyway, that’s my old life. My father and Ian are still big into the club, but the rest of us are out there in the world doing our own thing.”
“Sounds like an interesting life. So, does your father visit often?”
I shook my head. “No. Anyway, enough about me,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about my father. I wasn’t even sure why I had gone into so much detail about the motorcycle club and the nicknames. She made me a little nervous, and I was talking more than I used to. “So, do people usually know who you are?”
She laughed. “Usually, yeah.”
“Must’ve been weird coming here and not being recognized, then.”
“A little weird. But not necessarily a bad thing.”
“You know, Sloan, you’re not nearly as annoying as I thought you were in the beginning,” I said. My wine was obviously giving me confidence.
I hoped she wouldn’t take offense, but when I looked up, she was laughing. “And you know what, Brady? You’re not nearly as exasperating as I thought you were, either.”